Forget Me in The Morning
by Silent Misery
Summary: "Everyday I close my eyes and awaken the next day, I find myself forgetting. I don't recall the minutes, the hours we share together, and everyday you are nothing but a stranger to me. And yet everyday, you have me falling all over again."
1. Prologue

Well. To make things very clear: the plot itself is not mine I will admit that. Last summer I read a fanfic by the name "_Anterograde Tomorrow_" - hence this story. While I am using the general plot - perhaps a few scenes from the story itself - I _have_ made my own adjustments.

If by any chance, someone is awaiting chapter one to "All My Suffering", I'll be posting chapter one tonight(; I know I should have been updating that fic more often, but I just haven't had the inspiration.

**Disclaimer**: Of course, I don't own Fairy Tail. I give credits to _changdictator_; writer of _Anterograde_ _Tomorrow. _If you wish to read the original, you can find her story on LiveJournal.

**Dedication**: To any readers who have followed and/or favourited either myself, or my stories.

* * *

When her eyes open, she ceases a sigh. It was inevitable, as she tries to recall the memories of what happened the day before. Nothing - not even the few hours prior to her slumber - she could remember.

She's wondering why her room is suddenly so colourful. Placed everywhere were stuffed animals of all colours - red, pink, yellow, green - with even brighter notepads stuck to them with neat handwriting scrawled onto it. From where she sits upon her bed, she cannot make out the words written on it or whose name is signed on the bottom right corner.

She's sitting on her bed, her sheets pooling around her waist. Resting between her legs in the crook of her palms is a large scrapbook. When she opens it, her fingers skim the images as her eyes briefly read over the short captions.

Her fingers stop over a certain page plastered with a bright and cheerful smile and strangely coloured hair. Her memory fails her as she is unable to pinpoint any memories with the stranger. Despite not being able to remember, she feels a strange surge of emotions flowing through her.

She bites her lip.

He was familiar, and she knew she'd spent a great amount of time with him. His name rolls off the tip of her tongue smoothly without her even glancing at the captions that mentions his name. It surprises her.

And suddenly her cheeks are damp.

She shakily reaches up, softly pressing her nimble fingers to her cheeks. And suddenly tears are streaming freely and she can't seem to recall why, but she's hugging herself, long abandoning the book.

He was familiar. So, _so_ very familiar.

...

But she couldn't identify who he was to her.


	2. The Beginning

Hey guys. Hope you're having a great holidays break so far! Merry Christmas - or Christmas Eve - to you guys! I might actually update the next chapter tomorrow if I am in the mood; I'll try to get it done by New Years though!

But for now, enjoy chapter one!(;

**Disclaimer**: Of course, I don't own Fairy Tail. I give credits to _changdictator_; writer of _Antereograde Tomorrow_. If you wish to read the original, you can find her story on LiveJournal.

**Dedication**: To any readers who have followed and/or favourited either myself, or my stories.

.

She groans softly, the light pouring in through her curtains. She doesn't recall ever opening them in the first place the days before, but there they are, drawn back in all its glory, allowing the wretched murderous sun beams into the small cramped room.

Her room was rather plain, a few band posters here and there. To her knowledge, the groups plastered across her walls were groups having just debuted. Her eyes dart across the room, eyes falling on the purple elephant plush near her bedroom door.

That was the last day she could remember. To her, it was just yesterday when she had hung out with her friends at the yearly carnival. But she wasn't too sure anymore, if it had ever really been yesterday. The calendar had always told her differently, and so did the networks and the people around her.

She wasn't aware of how many days, weeks, months and even years have passed since that day when she was merely seventeen.

Her hands reach to throw the covers off her body, as she pulls herself to her feet. She squints as she brushes past the brightly-lit window, making her way out of the bedroom and into her living room. Her small apartment has not changed.

She makes a move toward the kitchen, making herself a simple sandwich. She's about to switch on the television when her cellphone vibrates indicating a new text message. She reaches over, her hand slapping against the coffee table, and then the surface of her phone. She picks it up with a sigh - there goes her supposed day off.

It doesn't take her long to change; a simple black tank and grey shorts would do. She gathers her belongings in one sweep of an arm, slinging her bag across her chest.

When she opens her door and shuts it to lock, she jumps in surprise when the door next door clicks open, a figure stepping out. She freezes momentarily; since when did she have a change of neighbours?

"Oh, good morning." He greets with a small smile, ruffling his messy strangely coloured hair. She nods back.

"Um, hello." She greets in return, and he raises an eyebrow at her stiffness.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel. I'm a reporter." He introduces himself, the previous small smile growing into a cheeky bright smile full of teeth. She finds herself wondering what could be so great about being a reporter.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia... Um, I'm a waitress?" She doesn't know what to tell him about herself. She'd rather keep her memory disorder a secret from a stranger like Natsu himself. Especially a stranger who happened to be a reporter - who knew what he would write about her?

Their chattering ends there, when Lucy finally manages to put her key in the hole, and successfully lock her apartment soundly. She awkwardly turns back to the reporter, and gives a small nod before she's off running down the hall, squeezing into the elevator just before it closes.

It's in the elevator that she starts to think. She had lived in that apartment by herself ever since she was fifteen, and her neighbour had always been that kind short old man, with questionable fashion.

Why was today the first day she'd ever seen that pink-haired male?

Despite Lucy's strange liking of small spaces, she suddenly feels uncomfortable in the elevator, almost claustrophobic. Much to her curiosity, she wishes to distance herself from the building as far as possible, as quickly as possible.

.

Ever since the accident that had occurred when she was at the tender age of seventeen, her old friends had suddenly started disappearing, and she could no longer rely on her memory to help her understand why.

When she walks into the restaurant she had been working at since she was sixteen, she is immediately greeted by the only few familiar faces she can remember. Of the eight other workers there, she could remember four from before the accident.

She makes her way into the staff room, a smile settling across her lips when she spots Juvia against her locker, slipping into the black mini-skirt that was associated with their restaurant's uniform.

"Good morning!" She chirps, as she pulls open her locker door as well. She slips into her uniform wordlessly, unaffected by the fact Juvia had not her greeted her back.

"Say, I have a question." Lucy says, wrapping the tie around her neck, and adjusting the little hat that sits like a headband at the crown of her head. Juvia turns to her, after adjusting her own hat, with an eyebrow raised.

"What is it?"

"You've been to my house lately, right?" Lucy asks, shutting her locker. Juvia nods slowly.

"My new neighbour... Do you know when he moved in?" She asks. Juvia raises her eyebrow once more.

"He's been your neighbour for almost four years. You don't remember meeting him?" She replies, and Lucy looks surprised. She merely shrugs, as she walks toward the staff room exit.

"I don't remember ever meeting him. He didn't sound like he knew me either, this morning."


	3. Day Two

I couldn't make it for Christmas unfortunately, but I did make it before New Years! So enjoy xD Sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes, or any general English errors.

**Disclaimer**: Of course, I don't own Fairy Tail. I give credits to _changdictator_; writer of _Anterograde Tomorrow_. If you wish to read the original, you can find her story in LiveJournal.

**Dedication**: To any readers who have followed and/or favourited either myself or my stories.

.

When her eyes open the next morning, her hands immediately reach for the scrapbook laying at rest on the night table beside her. She pushes herself up, her blonde locks tumbling down her back in knots. She doesn't even notice, as she opens the book.

The first page was dated back on December 25, 2006. She was thirteen at the time, Christmas Day. She had spent it with her friends that year, while her parents were far too busy for her - at least, that was what the caption beneath told her.

She begins skimming through the book, her eyes taking in the photographs and captions placed beneath it. All these photographs contained memories she could not remember in full detail, only the smiles or frowns she and her former-friends had shared.

When she flips to what must have been the forty-fifth page in the book, she notices a sudden change in how she and the others appeared in the pictures, and the years the captions were dated at.

She continues flipping, and then she's finally caught up to date. To her knowledge it was only June 18, 2010, yet the captions had stated differently. The latest picture was one of her and Juvia - one of the only people who had remained consistent in every photo since 2007. Only this time, the photo was dated September 23, 2014.

Lucy bites on her lip. Four years had flown by, and she couldn't remember anything about it, save for the in-the-moment photographs in the scrapbook and the very brief captions written neatly in her handwriting.

She jerks in surprise, when she hears pounding at her door. She places the scrapbook back onto her night stand, as she peels away the covers. On her feet, she takes a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror to make sure she's presentable.

When she opens the door, she meets a pair of onyx eyes that sparked interest, and strange salmon-coloured hair. She cocks her head to the side a little, as she opens the door slightly wider.

"Hello...?" She says slowly, her eyes scanning the male unfamiliarly. He smiles back at her.

"Hey!" He greets cheerfully, and Lucy can't help but step back a little, surprised.

"Do I know you?" She asks with an eyebrow raised. She can see the light in his eye dim, his smile tilting a little. Immediately she feels guilty; he had seemed so excited to see her.

"Uh yeah, I'm Natsu, your neighbour?" He replies, trying to make her remember. "We met yesterday, don't you remember?" Lucy sighs, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry - Natsu was it? - my memory isn't exactly... great." Lucy explains, a little hesitant about revealing her memory disorder. Finally she gives in, after a moment of thought. "You see, I have Anterograde Amnesia. I cannot create new memories, and I can't remember things that have happened to me after my... accident."

He nods slowly. "Ah, I'm sorry about your prior accident." He says, a flash of sadness flickering in his eyes. Lucy merely shakes her head.

"It's alright, it's in the past now." She says with a smile. "Was there something I could help you with?"

He hesitates now. "Well, you see..." He begins slowly, "I'm a reporter and I have an article to write about disorders. I had originally come here to ask you if you had known anyone experiencing problematic memory but you seem to have a problem yourself." He explains, and Lucy nods in understanding.

"And you'd like to interview me, is that what you're saying Natsu-san?"

He flinches at the suffix she had added to his name, but proceeds to nod. "Please, just Natsu is fine." He says with a soft smile. "And yes, I would like the interview you. However, of course, it is your choice on whether or not you choose to agree."

Lucy remains silent for a brief moment, stuck in her thoughts. It takes a minute or two of pure silence, before Lucy exhales a sigh. "Sure, why not? I will be apologizing in advance though, if I cannot answer your questions to your expectations." Natsu chuckles, with a wave of his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure you'll do fine." He tells her softly, before he pulls his cellphone out, glancing at the time. He frowns, "I've got to get going. Are you free tomorrow?"

Lucy nods. "We can go to that cafe down the street if you'd like. Perhaps we could get started with the interview?" He suggests. Again, Lucy nods.

"Yeah, sure. That sounds great." She replies with a smile, before waving him off as he turns away and stalks down the hall.

"I'll see you!"

.

Lucy yawns, falling against the counter. She pats the base of her black skirt, removing the small specks of food that had attached itself to the fabric. It was dark out, only the flicker of the street lights could be seen from inside the restaurant and the occasional headlights from passing cars.

"Tired?" Juvia asks, as she begins piling the menus neatly at the front desk. The restaurant was officially closed for the night, only occupied by the few other customers who had yet to finish their meals, and two or three other workers.

"Very. I can't remember a time we've ever stayed back so late." Lucy replies. Juvia chuckles softly.

"Well, it is very rare for us to still be here at this time. It's been what, a year since the last time?" Lucy doesn't respond this time. She couldn't have remembered that time anyway, what was she to say? So instead, she sprouts a new question.

"Will Lyon be picking you up tonight?" She asks curiously. She had always been rather fond of the boy. When she doesn't receive a response, Lucy shifts to get a better look at her best friend.

Her best friend has her hands clenched tightly against the stack of menus, her eyes cast down. She exhales loudly, squeezing her eyes shut. "No, not tonight." She whispers, and Lucy can hear the undefined pain in her voice.

She doesn't know why, but she suddenly feels like she's been drenched with a bucket of ice cold water. And she suddenly feels like she's about to cry.

Had she said something wrong?


	4. Day Three

Hi, hey, wow. So, long time no see? I haven't updated this in so long and I'm so sorry, ugh. I'll be honest, I'm working on a k-pop fic of mine - based on my story Stargazers, somewhat of a similar concept - and another story outline by the name of Seven; thus, neglecting this story. I'll try to update as much as I can though, but writer's block is a fat bitch.

Apologies to the short, shitty chapter. I hope you can bear any grammatical errors - it's 3am, I'm sorry you guys!

**Disclaimer**: Of course, I don't own Fairy Tail. I give credits to _changdictator_; writer of _Anterograde Tomorrow_. If you wish to read the original, you can find her story in LiveJournal.

**Dedication**: To any readers who have followed and/or favourited either myself or my stories.

.

"Afternoon, Luce." A voice greets once Lucy steps out of her doorway. She turns to the boy leaning casually against his door, a few feet away from hers.

"I'm Natsu, the reporter next door. We have an appointment today." He tells her, and Lucy raises her eyebrow. This morning, she hadn't found anything in her scrapbook that gave her any detail about this Natsu person.

He picks up on her hesitance almost immediately, even when she's so convinced that she had kept it hidden so well. "You must be thinking I'm a very suspicious man tight now, right?"

Without even thinking, Lucy nods. He pulls his lips into a firm line, a hand raking through his hair. "Do you blame me though?" Lucy replies, leaning against her locked door.

"Not at all. I mean, I can explain to you the reason of our appointment if you'd like." Natsu suggests. Lucy nods again.

"Yeah, that'd make more sense."

He sighs shoving his hands into his jean pockets, shifting his position against the door. "You have a memory disorder right? Um, what was it called... I can't remember. You told me yesterday." He mumbles.

"Anterograde Amnesia." Lucy informs. He snaps his fingers nodding at her.

"Yeah that! You're unable to create new memories, right? And I happen to have an article to write about disorders and disabilities. Yesterday you and I had a short conversation, and well, you allowed me to interview you for my article. You'll still allow me, right?" He explains. She nods along with him as he speaks, before suddenly taking the Polaroid camera in her bag, that she had always kept by her side.

As he continues speaking, she quickly takes a quick snap of him. This immediately ends all his chatter as he looks at her, surprised. Lucy doesn't even bother looking at him, as she works to unlock her apartment door once more.

"H-hey!" He calls after her as she enters her apartment. He follows after her, but stops short a few feet past the doorway. He hadn't intended on intruding, and Lucy had disappeared into her apartment anyway. He groans, falling against the wall as he decides to wait patiently for the girl to return.

She does, momentarily. In her hands, she carries the photograph she had just taken, a pen and a large scrapbook. Natsu looks at her skeptically as she sits on her couch flipping through the pages.

"What's that?" Natsu asks curiously, inching towards the girl. Lucy remains quiet, as she opens the book to a new fresh page, sticking the photograph in. Then, she begins to write neatly beneath the picture.

"A scrapbook. I take pictures and write captions of events or things worth remembering. It's for the me tomorrow, and the me's after that. So I don't forget." Lucy explains.

"Then that photograph you took of me earlier...?"

"So I don't automatically assume you're a suspicious human being. Just simple stuff, you're my neighbour who is writing an article about me."

.

"Do you want anything?" Natsu asks as he approaches the counter, splitting up from Lucy who is in search for an available table for two. She glances up.

"A caramel latte, please." She tells him timidly. He chuckles with a nod, before shooing her away with his hands. She pouts jokingly, before she's off in search for an available table.

She finds one near the windows of the cafe, and she hurriedly takes a seat before the table could be occupied by someone else. She retrieves her cellphone and her Polaroid camera from her bag, the camera settled on the table, her phone in her hands.

It's a few minutes later, when Natsu arrives with two drinks in his hands. He carefully slides the requested caramel latte to the blonde as he slips into the seat across from her. "So, do you always bring that camera around with you?"

"Yes. I use it to snap photos, and I paste them in that scrapbook you saw earlier, whenever I get the chance. It's the only way I can at least pretend I remember the days before I went to sleep, before I awaken blank again." Lucy explains, a little sadly. Natsu frowns.

"So... Once you fall asleep..."

"Everything I've done up until that point is wiped away."

Natsu looks at her pitifully. "Then... It's as if you're stuck in time, right?" He asks quietly. Lucy simply nods.

"Yes, I am mentally stuck in time. I still feel as if I am still seventeen." Lucy replies. Natsu finds himself silently wondering how she could be so open about her memory disorder. He knows had it been him suffering anterograde amnesia, he would not speak a word about it. He finds himself thinking he'd rather be locked at home and no contact with the outside world, than have to suffer everyday with no memory of the previous days.

"Forgive me for asking, but um, are you aware of how many years have passed? Since your _accident_?" He asks cautiously. Lucy sighs, leaning forward against the table, her cheek pressed to her palm.

"Yes and no." She says simply. "Everyday feels like the day after the incident - well, had the incident not happened. Everyday I feel as if I had experienced the yearly carnival just yesterday. But I know days, months, weeks... _years_ have passed. I just don't have any recollection of it and it doesn't feel like the years have passed."

"Don't you hate it? How... How could you just continue on? Isn't it difficult?" Natsu asks, gritting his teeth.

"Of course it isn't desirable, and I wish the accident hadn't happened but it did, and I can't do anything about it. I have adapted one way or another, but I can't help but feel like my oblivion is hurting the people who are still around me."

Lucy looks up at him with sad eyes. "I have a feeling the things I say hurt others, because of my lack of knowledge of what has happened during the years."

"But you can't help it! You can't remember!" Natsu argues, his volume increasing. He looks around them, having caught the attention of a few other strangers. He numbly mutters an apology, before sinking back into his seat.

Lucy shrugs. "Yes, but it doesn't make me feel any better, when I realize that I am hurting people unconsciously."


End file.
